Anyone know where I might find a pic of her? I joined her in Goole about 62 I think but she was a small steel hatched coaster collier on the Blyth\Shoreham run but we also did the odd dash over to Rotterdam.. I sailed her single handed across the North Sea several times and the only "ticket" I had was a steering ticket, I was a 17 year old ordinary seaman with a pissy arsed mate and skipper who just gave me a course or two, what time to alter it, finished off their bottle of Scotch and then slept a lot.. (5 0n 5 off watches).. (egg)
I think I gave quite a few North Sea Ferry skippers underpants accidents... I certainly got my share of foghorn abuse anyway....
(err... did he say red to red or green to green go ahead? Skipper, you awake yet in there? zzzzzz snnnnnnore..

BLAREEEEEEEEEEEEEE... sod it I'll go hard a port.. Cant stand this North sea Road rage..
Dont laugh too much, this really HAPPENED... regularly... Frightened me to death, I paid off and went back deep sea.. at least there we had more room to make mistakes and the guys on the bridge making them were supposedly qualified and usualy semi awake as opposed to comatosed and letting an ordinary seaman navigate.

lamptrimmer

19th November 2011, 19:45

There is a pic of a RICHMOND QUEEN on the site old ship picture galleries .Could be the one you are seeking
Regards
lamptrimmer

Gerald B

21st November 2011, 22:08

I remember the Richmond Queen sailing into Blyth in the early 1950s when I spent many happy holidays in the company of Charlie Holgeth of J.W. Colpitts, ship repairers, Blyth.I was about 10 at the time. Colpitts were frequently invoved in the repair of Queenships when in Blyth.

Puffin's skipper

22nd November 2011, 14:55

Hi Gerald, one thing I DO remember about Blyth and that ship is that the Old man, the mate and Chief were Scots (I think) and all lived within travelling distance of Blyth so often took the oportunity for a weekend at home if the cargo wasnt ready to load until Monday.
Apart from someone who shall be nameless (as he was overfond of of a certain Scottish amber liquid) myself and the other EDH quickly realised that we were now "home alone" aboard her and technicaly "In charge" all weekend, (apart from our nameless supervisor and his bottle of sleeping mixture.)
We went ashore and met two attractive young females in a local pub. After being 'knocked back' for being mere deck hands we 'blagged' that we were in fact the Skipper and Mate of that huge handsome vessel lying just over there on the quayside.. They must have been extremly gullible as we were both only about 18 but when they were persuaded to come back to the ship with us and we "proved" who we were by showing them all over the Richmond Queen and "our" cabins they were suitably impressed enough to loose their inhibitions.. a good time was had by all and they left in a taxi some time later..
All would have had a happy ending except we were delayed leaving that Monday and the said girls came back aboard Monday night, walzed straight into the old mans cabin and asked him where "Captain" Paul and the Mick, the first officer were..

The 'Dour' old man was not amused.. or the Mate, (he was well know in Blyth) and threatened Mick with the big locker if he ever pulled a stunt like that again.. but he at least kept his job.. It was decreed that as the new hand aboard I was the ringleader. (I was.) Flogging at sea was by now illegal, but punishment wasnt. After two days continous watch 'pennance' manning the Mcgregor steel hatches in Shoreham that same week I decided my coastal career was all but finished, asked to pay off and went back deep sea from KG5 on a South American Saint Line Corned beef boat.

All in all not a very long or distinguised career in the Queenship navigation company. Memorable though, along with Blyth, its nearly fifty years ago and I didn't forget 'whatshername' or her friend..